The Toronto Blue Jays will try to complete the sweep over the Arizona Diamondbacks this afternoon when the clubs wrap up a three-game series at Rogers Centre.
Toronto has held Arizona to just two runs per game so far this weekend as Yusei Kikuchi will look to continue a trend of strong starts for the Jays. Kikuchi, however, struggled mightily in his last two starts ahead of the All-Star break.
Can Kikuchi bounce back and keep Arizona’s bats quiet for a third straight contest? We’ll discuss in our Diamondbacks vs. Blue Jays MLB picks and predictions for Sunday, July 16.
Diamondbacks vs Blue Jays odds
Diamondbacks vs Blue Jays predictions
After Jose Berrios allowed just one run over 5 1/3 innings in the series opener on Friday, Chris Bassitt came through with another solid start, holding the Arizona Diamondbacks to two runs through six innings to give the Toronto Blue Jays their seventh win in their last eight games.
Toronto has benefited from strong pitching since the start of July as the Jays’ team ERA of 3.03 ranks fourth in the majors over that span with just 31 runs allowed over 92 innings. That trend may change this afternoon, though, with Kikuchi taking the mound for the Jays.
Yusei Kikuchi allowed eight hits and four earned runs over five innings in his last start against the White Sox on July 6. Prior to that, the left-hander surrendered seven hits and five earned runs over 4 1/3 innings to the Red Sox on July 1.
Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks will send Tommy Henry to the mound — a fellow southpaw that’s been trending in the opposite direction. Henry pitched six shutout innings in his last start against the Mets on July 5 and has held opponents to one earned run or less in three straight outings.
The Diamondbacks have struggled to produce offense this series but are bound to break out at some point — they’ll have a good opportunity to do just that early and often against Kikuchi.
My best bet: Diamondbacks to score first (-130 at SIA)
Diamondbacks vs Blue Jays same-game parlay
Diamondbacks to score first (-135)
Diamondbacks TT Over 4.5 (+110)
Matt Chapman to record a hit (-210)
Along with banking on Arizona to open the scoring, I’m going to look for the visitors to break out of their slump and score at least five runs today.
Kikuchi has given up at least two earned runs in nine of his last 13 starts and 3+ runs in six of those outings. If the Diamondbacks can score three or four against the Jays starter, they’ll be in good position to cash the Over on 4.5 runs.
We’ll wrap up the same-game parlay by betting on Matt Chapman to get a hit. Toronto’s third baseman has four hits in the first two games of the series while batting a solid .294 in July.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Diamondbacks vs Blue Jays moneyline and Over/Under analysis
Toronto comes into today’s game as the home favorite once again, hovering at around -165 at most books, while Arizona is getting +140 on the road. The Diamondbacks should have the pitching edge so I’m banking on Henry to outduel Kikuchi to give the underdogs the win.
Henry has allowed more than two earned runs in just three of his last 12 starts while the Blue Jays have scored just 103 runs over the last 30 days — the 10th-worst mark in the majors over that span.
The total is set at a lofty 9.5 runs and I like the Under today with both offenses looking pretty underwhelming. Arizona has been even worse offensively than Toronto over that 30-day stretch with 98 runs scored.
Meanwhile, the Under is 7-2-1 in the D-backs’ last 10 games and 6-3-1 in the Jays’ last 10.
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Trend to know
The Under is 6-3-1 in the last 10 meetings. Find more MLB betting trends for Diamondbacks vs. Blue Jays
Diamondbacks vs Blue Jays game info
| Location: | Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON |
| Date: | Sunday, July 16, 2023 |
| First pitch: | 1:37 p.m. ET |
| TV: | BSAZ, Sportsnet |
Starting pitchers
Tommy Henry (5-1, 3.75 ERA): Henry had a couple of rough starts to begin the month of June, allowing a combined 14 hits and 10 earned runs over just nine innings. Since then, the left-hander has allowed just four earned runs over his last four starts, posting a 1.48 ERA over that span.
Yusei Kikuchi (7-3, 4.24 ERA): Kikuchi had his best month of the season in June, recording a 2.28 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP over five starts. He’s been decimated in July, though, posting an 8.68 ERA and a 1.82 WHIP through his first two outings of the month prior to the All-Star break.
